I realized this summer that 40 km is special to me. It’s the distance on a bike that no matter how tired I am, feels like “almost home.” No matter what, I can ride 40 km. It’s what? An hour and a half. I can do that.
It happened a number of days on the bike rally. Just 40 km to go after lunch? Then we’re pretty much there.
And it’s funny because way back when, when I first started riding in my early forties, that was my long ride. 40 km was big for me. When I showed up to my first training ride with a local triathlon club, our ride was 40 km. I even drove my car to the start with my bike on the track because I didn’t want to add on the extra 18 km to get to and from my house.
But I know how it happened. I ride 40 km every week with a local cycling coach and group of women he coaches. It’s always 40, never more, never less. Sometimes it’s a loop. Sometimes it’s out and back. But it’s always 40 km.
I think some of the duathlons I used to race had a 40 km bike ride. I’m good at 40 km.
How about you? What’s your magic number?
Mine is 50km. It suits my need for completion and hitting numbers ;-).
My magic number right now is 10 minutes. I am at the largest I have ever been in my life and I am trying to turn that around with 10 minutes on a treadmill every morning (we have a lot of bears in our neighbourhood). So 10 minutes it is, until next week when it will be 11!